#flourishingroot

Looking up from the paper he held in one hand, Torifu caught sight of the boy attempting to hold his other, a little startled as a result.(But he was also glad for it, if he was to tell the truth; It meant that, at the very least, Sai seemed to think he was a suitable guardian for the moment.)

He blinked a few times and then looked back to the paper, squinting for a second or two at his own handwriting.

Send a 👫and I’ll write four headcanons I have about our muse’s relationship

Sai getting over the fear of being bitten by Hogo made Torifu glad, because it meant that Hogo had another human companion in the event of a worse case scenario where the adult died on a mission.(The turtle was an animal who could live on its own and forage by itself, yes, but he didn’t want to just leave the poor thing alone.)

Torifu finds little Sai’s drawings to be very charming and will try to compliment him on some aspect of what piece he’s working on at the given moment, remembering how he never really got much encouragement from the adult figures in his own life (namely his mother)--though he doesn’t usually explain why, believing the idea of spontaneous compliments to be better.

Torifu is happy for the occasions where he gets talked into (not that it takes too much convincing anymore) babysitting. Given that he lives alone, he’s glad for the chance to talk to another human aside from vendors at the marketplace, child or not.

"I don't understand how I ended up your un-official babysitter..." he began, only for his voice to quickly trail off once he noticed the boy dozing off, using his thigh as a pillow.

'Well, that won't do. It's hardly a proper place for a child to sleep.'

Carefully, so as not to wake Sai up, he gathered the other in his arms, making his way back to his bedroom. He didn't have a bed other than his own, given that nobody else lived with him (not anymore, that is), but he figured it'd be better than nothing.

Torifu couldn't help thinking to himself that Sai looked terribly small, as if the blanket that had been used to cover most of him would just swallow him whole. And he was still as pale as ever, but apparently had no illness--how?

Making a mental note to pick up more vitamin-rich things the next time he went to purchase food (if the boy was around, maybe he'd get invited along), he turned to exit the room, leaving the door cracked open just a fraction so there'd be at least a little light.